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Department of Justice

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Washington Man Sentenced to Ten Years for Sex Trafficking

Joseph McDaniels, 43, of Shoreline, Wash., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court for interstate transportation of a 22 year old woman for purposes of prostitution. Judge James L. Robart sentenced McDaniels to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Requirements during the supervised release include registration under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, sexual deviancy evaluation and treatment, restrictions and monitoring of his use of computers and restrictions on contact with minors.

On Sept. 28, 2012 McDaniels pleaded guilty to interstate transportation for prostitution. The indictment alleged that between August 2011 and April 2012, McDaniels compelled the woman to engage in commercial sex acts through force, fraud and coercion and that McDaniels transported her between Washington state and Oregon for purposes of prostitution.

According to court filings, McDaniels is a registered sex offender and had completed serving a 15-year sentence for a series of robberies in the mid-1990’s when he was released from state prison in early 2011. Only a few months later, McDaniels met and recruited the woman, preying upon her youth and drug addiction to coerce her into engaging in acts of prostitution.

According to court documents, McDaniels advertised the woman on Backpage.com, transported her to prostitution dates, took all of her money and supplied her with drugs. He threatened to harm her and her family, and in December 2011, McDaniels was arrested and later convicted in state court for assaulting the woman. He was arrested again in May 2012 after he had taken her to Portland, Ore., for prostitution, and then attempted to have the woman withdraw a state-issued no contact order against him.

“The exploitation and sexual abuse of a vulnerable young woman is intolerable and the Justice Department will continue to prosecute and seek justice for victims of such abhorrent crimes,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.

“We will continue our battle against human trafficking in western Washington,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Washington Jenny A. Durkan. “We are fortunate to have committed local, state and federal officers working together to find and stop sexual predators like the defendant. Today the court ensured that other young women will not be exploited by him.”

This case was investigated by the Kent Police Department, Auburn Police Department, and the FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ye-Ting Woo and Trial Attorney Daniel H. Weiss of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

The FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force provides a rapid and effective investigative response to reported federal crimes involving the victimization of children. The task force strives to reduce the vulnerability of children to acts of sexual exploitation and abuse and strengthens the capabilities of federal, state and local law enforcement through training programs and investigative assistance.